ARTISTS | Ian Friend

From his studio in Ipswich, Queensland, Ian Friend creates subtle and evocative works on paper using pigment, ink and gouache. With a fascination for alchemy between materials and an obsession with hand-made art papers, sourced worldwide, Friend’s works are made from the finest materials and developed using techniques which have been refined over many decades. Though materiality is an integral part of his practice, his works also reflect a rich engagement with jazz, poetry and architecture. Friend has developed work in response to contemporary poet Jeremy Prynne, and with composer Martin Freidel, among others.

Born in Eastbourne, England, Friend migrated to Melbourne, Australia in 1985 and has since lectured in drawing and painting in several Australian universities while maintaining his art practice and exhibiting in Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States.

Exhibitions:

Ian Friend’s work reflects a rich engagement with jazz and classical music, poetry and architecture. Blue Silence pays homage to poets and artists, composers and musicians including those as diverse as Elena Kats-Chernin, Edward Elgar, Sol Gabetta and Piet Mondrian.

With a career spanning four decades, Ian Friend's new paintings on paper encapsulate many of the artist's longstanding concerns. Friend's work conjures his current thinking on political and social issues while also being developed in response to music, poetry and literature.

Winter Solstice 1 was an exhibition comprising paintings and works on paper, all celebrating the astronomical transition from the shortest day of the year. The exhibition featured works by: Ian Friend, Jennifer Goodman, Ngaio Lenz, Stephen Ormandy, Christopher Pease and Lee Salomone

Ian Friend's initial encounter with quality fine art paper was courtesy of his first art teacher, Miss Phyllis Johnstone (a fellow student of Henry Moore) when the young student was ten years old. In the decades since, Ian Friend has maintained his love affair with paper....